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Tamar Valley Wine Route, Tasmania, a heavenly wine trail

Known for its delightful sparkling wines considered second only to champagne, Tamar Valley is located in Tasmania, the oldest wine-producing region in Australia.

One of the greatest things about Tamar Valley is its fantastic weather throughout the year. In fact, it is similar to the Cote d’Or in Burgundy, France—a setting ideal for excellent wines and growing fresh produce. It is perfect for a holiday and has something for just about everyone. Charming orchards, forests, and wineries vie for your attention, as if competing with the hills, plains, sandy beaches, and bush. The region is also steeped in history and heritage. There are picturesque farms and winery estates, with friendly people who weave warm hospitality around their specialty wines and delicious Tasmanian cuisine.

Today, we are taking you along the Tamar Valley Wine route, which produces 40 percent of the region’s premium wines. Between the Valley and Pipers River, and the cities of Launceston and Relbia, there are more than thirty-two vineyards, waiting to wow you with their outstanding wines and unique cellar door tastings. We will be visiting five of these award-winning wineries in today’s trip.

So take a break, grab your VinGardeValise® and your camera, and get ready to enjoy the trip of a lifetime. Discover one of nature’s most favored parts of the world where Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, and Gewurztraminer grow enthusiastically.

Expect to enjoy and bring back home exceptional sparkling wines, Chardonnay, aromatic whites, and Pinot Noir in your VGV®, on this almost heavenly wine trail.

Let’s go!

Bay of Fires Winery

Bay of Fires Winery is an award-winning winery located in the verdant woodlands along the Pipers River in the Tamar Valley wine region. As you approach the property, a white picket gate that seems right out of a fairy tale welcomes you. This winery’s wines are crafted to showcase the best features of this distinctive island terroir. The table wine is especially made from handpicked Tasmanian grapes, aged naturally in oak. The entire team at Bay of Fires Wines is dedicated to producing Tasmania’s best wines.

Their range of cool climate wines includes Eddystone Point and the House of Arras range, considered one of Australia’s most prestigious sparkling wines, which you can enjoy with spectacular views of their winery and its surroundings.

The Bay of Fires Team’s vision, according to their website:

The winery was founded upon the vision and spirit of our dedicated winemaking and viticultural team, who believed Tasmania would one day be the pre-eminent region in Australia to produce cool climate wines. To this end, we search for the individual ‘personalities’ in every variety and vineyard, to craft wines which are unique, alluring and distinctively Tasmanian but never compromise on consistency or quality.

Josef Chromy Wines

Josef Chromy Wines is an award-winning restaurant and cellar door known for its amazing food and wine experiences. The winery is a lovely fifteen-minute drive from Launceston, through the countryside of Relbia. The original 1880s estate sits in a setting of landscaped gardens, a serene lake, and a view of its 150-acre vineyard and winery. Josef Chromy Wines are crafted from grapes grown on the estate, using a high-tech German press. Their current varieties are Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Gris, and Sauvignon Blanc. Their wines include the everyday range Pepik and Josef Chromy, and limited edition Zdar.

Wine tasting includes their premium cool climate wines. Their onsite restaurant, which specializes in fresh Tasmanian produce, welcomes visitors for lunch on all days of the week, and for dinner on Friday and Saturday.

Josef Chromy Wines is listed as one of the Top 10 Cellar Doors of Australia and won the One Chef Hat in the 2017 Australian Good Food and Wine Guide.

To quote from their website:

Our winemaking style is founded on producing wines that show a true ‘sense of place’ and celebrate the individual characteristics of each unique vintage. … In all of our wines balance is the ultimate focus, striving to marry fruit, natural acidity, structure, tannin and texture. The use of state-of-the-art technology for traditional winemaking techniques enables a gentle, minimal intervention approach which allows the subtle and delicate flavours of our cool climate vineyard to be expressed to their full potential.

Don’t miss their exclusive “Go Behind The Label” winery tour, which includes sampling wines straight from the barrel. Make sure to book in advance.

Goaty Hill Wines

TheGoaty Hill Wines cellar door and vineyard is a short drive from Launceston and located in Kayena. Set against the backdrop of the Tamar River in naturally alluring surroundings, this winery is owned by two families, who are also close friends. They met in an antenatal class, eighteen years ago, and decided to follow their passion. For Natasha, Kristine, Markus, and Tony, there was no looking back after their first 2006 vintage of Goaty Hill Riesling won an international Riesling challenge and gold medals at the Sydney Wine Show.

Between managing their 50-acres of vines, producing approximately 180 tonnes of grapes a year, operating a cellar door, and playing host to art and music events, it is all about making fine wine and enjoying the company of locals and visitors.

You can expect to explore the following wines: Sparkling, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Rosé, Pinot Noir, and Botrytis.

As you relax and enjoy scenic views of the rocky hillside and rolling greens with their award-winning estate grown wines and a delicious Tasmanian cheese plate or vineyard platter laden with fresh local produce, you will be treated to a history of the 50-acre vineyard and its winemaking process. Goaty Hill has a close bond with its local community and you will find the cellar door showcasing local music talent, food, and art events the year around. A tour of the winery includes wine tasting at the cellar door with their current vintage and a complimentary glass of wine.

Fine wine, perfectly paired with fine food, great company, hosts that treat you like old friends—that’s what Goaty Hill Winery is all about. Ask for their Botrytis Riesling 2016 vintage, best paired with a cheese platter!

Pipers Brook Vineyard

Since 1797, with its European heritage, Kreglinger has fine-tuned the craft of making fine wine, from Antwerp to Southern Australia. Kreglinger Australia was established in 1893, and in 2000, acquired the majority ownership of Pipers Brook and Norfolk Rise Vineyards. Their Australian portfolio of wines includes Pipers Brook, Norfolk Rise, Ninth Island and Kreglinger.

The Pipers Brook Winery is an architectural marvel. At their cellar door, you can sample and buy their estate grown premium vintage Sparkling Kreglinger, Pipers Brook Estate, Ninth Island and Rochecombe range made from fruit grown in one of their seven vineyards. Enjoy wine tasting accompanied by a fresh menu of local food, enjoying panoramic views of the ocean and their vineyards. They do charge a fee for wine tasting, which is waived off when you buy wine from the cellar door.

According to their website:

“While the suave and sophisticated European influences of our heritage remain, our Australian portfolio of wines proudly captures the unique qualities of the land we now call home. From our vineyards in the pristine island state of Northern Tasmania, to the isolated coastal plains of Mt. Benson in South Australia, Kreglinger has dedicated itself to being at the forefront of the Australian wine industry.”

The Jansz Tasmania

TheJansz Tasmania Wine Room was established in 1975 and is located in the northeast of the island state within the Pipers River region of the Tamar Valley. This corner is fondly referred to as “Sparkling Tasmania”.

The winery has an interesting history. The name Jansz has its origins in Tasmania’s Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, who discovered the island in 1642. Initially, the Jansz vineyard was called the Heemskerk after the Tasman’s ship. Later in 1986, when France’s champagne house Louis Roederer and Heemskerk Wines partnered to produce Tasmania’s first premium vintage sparkling wine, they noticed the similarities in climate in the two regions.

In 1997, the Hill-Smith family bought the vineyard and thus began the journey of Jansz Tasmania, now regarded as one of the best sparkling wine houses in Australia. Jansz’s home is adjacent to the vineyard, overlooking a picturesque lake. Its architecture is impressive, and you can see it when you visit the Wine Room and Interpretative Centre to enjoy wine tasting. Their range of sparkling wines includes Premium and Vintage Rose and Cuvee, Late Disgorged Vintage Cuvee, and Single Vineyard Chardonnay.

According to their website,

“It could be argued we’re completely mad growing grapes in the wild and unforgivingly cold Tasmanian environment. But there’s méthode to our madness. The climatic conditions of the Jansz vineyard rival the famed French wine region of Champagne. In fact, it was originally with French contribution that Jansz became Tasmania’s first sparkling made using the traditional Méthode. Today we call it, Méthode Tasmanoise. It’s the essence of a partnership between the environment and our winemaker. Just as the cool Tasmanian climate creates spectacular beauty in nature, it is also instrumental in the creation of art in bottles”

Don’t forget to ask for the Jansz Late Disgorged Vintage Cuvée, the King of their collection which, according to them, is best served with food of the gods.

As you pack your VGV®, the legendary Tasmanian hospitality awaits you with its sparkling wines and gourmet experience. While you are there, you might want to drive around Launceston and Tamar Valley. Besides its lakes, mountains farms, and wineries, there is the gorgeous city park, museums, art galleries and the World Heritage Cradle Mountain. In addition to this, a ride along the Tamar River has its own set of attractions. Enjoy!

Whatever you do, do NOT forget your VinGardeValise® and your camera. This beautiful trip is about to take your breath away!